Events

Markets

Fresh produce from the market from the hands of local growers can be found in Langen on three days a week: Tuesdays and Fridays at the weekly market (Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Platz, 8am to 1pm) and Saturdays at the market in the old town near the Parish Church, 8am to 2pm). At both markets it is not only the shopping experience that is fun. They are also popular meeting points. Many visitors stop for a little chat, indulge in a culinary snack or sit down over a glass of wine in a convivial atmosphere.

Langen’s market occupies a special position on the first Sunday in September. The largest shopping party of the year attracts thousands of visitors to Bahnstraße, Rheinstraße and Wassergasse. The shops are open with special offers and competitions. Clubs, associations, institutions and street traders enrich life along the party mile which is capproximately 1.7 kilometres in length.

Ebbelwoifest/Apple Wine Festival

“Ebbelwoi”, as apple wine is known here in Langen, flows directly from a fountain on four days in the year. This is when the “Ebbelwoifest" takes place, during which, in the old city, everything revolves around the “süffige Stöffche/smooth stuff” with its golden colour and bitter aftertaste. On the last weekend in June thousands of visitors make their way to the historic Vierröhrenbrunnen in the old city, which simultaneously serves as both a source of “Ebbelwoi” and a meeting point. For many a decade the Verkehrs- und Verschönerungs-Verein/Traffic and Beautifying Association has been organising this first-class festival, which is one of the most popular in the region.

A great deal of hustle and bustle and the very best of atmospheres dominate at the carousels and stalls, in the restaurants, cosy little wine taverns and the festival tent. Visitors celebrate until late into the night with live music. The highlight at the opening of the festival on Friday evening is a fireworks display high in the sky above the festival activity. On the Saturday and the Sunday a market offering art, handicrafts and bric-a-brac entices visitors to the idyllic Bachgasse. On the Monday many locals have a day off and celebrate the last day of the festival with a refreshing morning drink.

Many inhabitants of Langen still press their own “Ebbelwoi”. He who does this the best is then crowned “Ebbelwoikönig/Apple Wine King" during the festival. During the so-called “Ebbelwoi-Daaf", people who have done a good service for the city but who were not born in Langen are accorded a particular honour. First they must – much to the amusement of the spectators – prove their ability to hold their drink with the large “Ebbelwoibembel/Apple Wine Pitcher.” The remaining contents are then poured over them and they are thus baptised.

In Langen and its environs “Ebbelwoi” has been a popular and refreshing beverage of the common people for centuries. It is enjoyed undiluted, diluted with mineral water (a so-called “Sauergespritzter/sour spritzer” or with lemonade (a so-called “Süßgespritzter/sweet spritzer”. In the winter there is also “hot Ebbelwoi”, which is best when refined with a cinnamon stick. With a little imagination “Ebbelwoi” can be used either as an ingredient in or the basis for mixed drinks or punches, as well as for cooking original dishes.

Iron Man

Once a year in Langen the moment of truth comes for the women and men made of hard iron. The Iron Man European Championship (www.ironman.de) is the sporting highlight in the region. The European Championship, a qualifier for the event on Hawaii, casts a magical spell upon hundreds of thousands of spectators each year in July. The spectacle begins in the early morning at the Langener Waldsee. More than 2,000 athletes from all over the world really do manage to fire up the lakeside atmosphere both at the start and during the 3.8 kilometre swimming event. This is followed by 180 kilometres of cycling and a marathon run with the finish on the “Römerberg” in Frankfurt.

Prince’s Garden Festival

The international sales exhibition for horticulture and the rural way of life in the grounds of Schloss Wolfsgarten (www.schloss-wolfsgarten.de) stands for horticultural competence and exceptional flair. The 18th Century-style former hunting lodge is picturesquely embedded in a large park full of botanical and architectural sights in the west of the District of Langen.

On a weekend in September every year, more than 150 exhibitors – among them renowned plant specialists and gardening experts – present exquisite and useful things to do with the garden: floral belles and particular rarities, gardening tools and rural fashions, garden furniture and choice accessories. In addition, display gardens and lectures are the inspiration for new ideas.

The Prince’s garden festival is under the patronage of Moritz Landgrave of Hessen. As a passionate garden lover he is a guarantor for the particular quality of this event.

In addition, the park is opened on two weekends around Whitsun when the rhododendrons are in bloom.

Christmas market

On the first two advent weekends (Fridays to Sundays) there is a friendly family atmosphere at Langen’s Christmas market, which is organised by the Verkehrs- und Verschönerungs-Verein. In the Old City – between Parish Church and Vierröhrenbrunnen – the market creates a pre-Christmas atmosphere with its decorative stalls.

The mulled wine steams and is served in ceramic beakers. It is full of the scent of sprigs of fir, herbal bonbons, charcoal grills, chestnuts and toasted almonds. The vendors – among them many Langen clubs – proffer biscuits, toys, candles, balls, globes, spices, handicrafts, hearty game specialities and much, much more.